Super Bowl Opening Kickoff Touchback Odds 2027: Will There be a Return?
The first play of Super Bowl 2027 from SoFi Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., will be one of the most bet-on moments of the game, so let’s break down the Super Bowl opening kickoff touchback odds.
Wagering on whether the first kick will be downed for a touchback - or called as a fair catch - puts action on the Super Bowl right from the start. For more than half a century, opening kickoffs were almost always returned, but changes in rules and strategy have shifted the trend, and fair catches are now treated the same as touchbacks in the betting market.
🦵 Super Bowl opening kickoff props odds
Let's look back at Super Bowl 60 for examples of the opening kickoff props that are available at our best Super Bowl betting sites.
Will the opening kick be a touchback or fair catch?
Here were the odds and betting lines at bet365 for the Super Bowl 2026 opening kickoff to be either a touchback or fair catch.
| Will the opening kick be a touchback/fair catch? | Odds | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| No | -250 | 71.43% |
| Yes | +190 | 34.48% |
We have seen the opening kickoff result in a touchback just 11 times during the 60-year history of the Super Bowl. However, five of those instances have come in the last five years.
Why did the trend change so dramatically? It has everything to do with the recent NFL Dynamic Kickoff Rule changes to the kickoff.
🧨 Dynamic Kickoff Rule
The NFL's dynamic kickoff rules have been used since the start of the 2024 season and were tweaked ahead of this most campaign. The rules, meant to align with player safety and more returns, have the kicker's teammates line up at the receiving team's 40-yard line, while the receiving team has setup zones. Players can't move until the ball is kicked, and kicks must be returned from the landing zone (20-yard line to goal line).
Touchbacks are spotted at the 35-yard line.
Will a kickoff be returned for a touchdown?
| Will the opening kickoff be returned for a touchdown? | Odds (bet365) |
|---|---|
| Yes | +5000 |
This has happened only once in Super Bowl history, and as was the case last year, it annually gets long odds. Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown in Super Bowl 41. It was one of the Chicago Bears' two touchdowns in a blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
The odds are always against another such touchdown in a Super Bowl, as just seven kickoffs were returned for touchdowns during the 2025 NFL season. That's for kickoffs in general, let alone the first one in a game. However, in 2024 there were just four kickoffs returned for TDs, so there's been a slight uptick.
Which team will receive the opening kickoff?
This bet is essentially the same as betting on the Super Bowl coin toss odds. Both the AFC and NFC representatives in the Super Bowl receive roughly 50% odds to win the wager, but with a slightly worse price, as was the case prior to the 2026 game.
| Team | FanDuel |
|---|---|
| AFC | -104 |
| NFC | -104 |
📜 Super Bowl opening kickoff touchback history
Here is a look at recent Super Bowl opening kickoff touchback history.
- Super Bowl 60 Seahawks vs. Patriots: Andreas Borregales kicks touchback
- Super Bowl 59 Chiefs vs. Eagles: Harrison Butker kicks touchback
- Super Bowl 58 49ers vs. Chiefs: Harrison Butker kicks touchback
- Super Bowl 57 Chiefs vs. Eagles: Harrison Butker kicks touchback
- Super Bowl 56 Rams vs. Bengals: Evan McPherson kicks touchback
- Super Bowl 55 Chiefs vs. Buccaneers: Harrison Butker kick returned by Tampa Bay's Jaydon Mickens 26 yards
Here's a look at some of the most significant historical trends tied to the Super Bowl opening kickoff after the 59th edition of the Big Game:
- A whopping 49 of the 60 Super Bowl opening kickoffs have been returned, including 26 of the last 33. But we've now seen four straight kickoffs result in a touchback, with the change in NFL rules no doubt an influence.
- Six of the kicks to result in a touchback over the last three decades were kicked indoors
- All seven opening kickoff touchbacks listed above also took place after the 2010 NFL rule change that moved the kickoff spot from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line.
- No team has ever opened the Super Bowl with an onside kick attempt, though we've seen some notable instances later in the game.
📖 How to read Super Bowl prop odds
Reading Super Bowl opening kickoff odds is straightforward. Odds are usually presented in a format like +500 or -200. Positive odds (i.e., +500) show how much profit you’d make on a $100 bet.
For example, a $100 bet at +500 odds would win you $500, plus your original $100 stake, totaling $600. Negative odds (i.e., -200) indicate how much you need to bet to win $100. So, a $200 bet at -200 odds would win you $100, plus your $200 stake, totaling $300.
These odds also reflect the probability of a particular Super Bowl outcome for the opening kickoff. Lower odds (i.e., +300) suggest a higher likelihood, while higher odds (i.e., +2000) indicate a lower probability. Sportsbooks adjust these odds based on stats, news, and betting patterns.
If Yes gets +500 odds and No gets +1000 odds for the opening kickoff to be returned for a touchdown, Yes is considered more likely to be the outcome. If you bet $100 on Yes, and the opening kickoff is returned for a score, you’d get $600 back ($500 profit + $100 stake).
❓ Super Bowl opening kickoff FAQs
Can I bet on the opening kickoff?
Sportsbooks will offer novelty props on the Super Bowl opening kickoff ahead of the big game.
When will the 2027 Super Bowl be played?
Super Bowl 61 will be played on Feb. 14, 2027 at Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Who will be the halftime performer for Super Bowl 2027?
We don't know the halftime performer yet, but Miley Cyrus leads the Super Bowl halftime show odds.
How to watch Super Bowl 2027
ESPN will broadcast Super Bowl 61 nationally.
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